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The Queen's Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W.1

Above - The Queen's Theatre during the run of 'Les Miserables' in October 2006.
The show originally opened at the Palace Theatre in October 1985 but transferred to the Queen's on the 3rd of April 2004 and is now in its 21st year.

The Queen's Theatre opened on the 8th of October 1907 with a comedy called 'The Sugar Bowl' by Madeleine Lucette Ryley. The Theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and was one of two Theatres built by him next to each other on Shaftesbury Avenue. The first was the Hicks Theatre (once the Globe Theatre and now the Gielgud Theatre) which opened in 1906 and then later The Queen's Theatre which opened in 1907. Both Theatres were built by Walter Wallis of Balham with frontages of Portland Stone on a site which was formerly an estate agent's premises, comprising of 35 to 49 Shaftesbury Avenue, and seventeen houses in Wardour Street, Rupert Street, and Upper Rupert Street, which is now called Winnet street.

The auditorium was built on the cantilever system and comprised originally of three levels, Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle, and Gallery at the rear of the Upper, with a capacity of 1,917 but today the capacity is a more modest 989.

The Queen's Theatre was originally a twin with the Hicks, although slightly larger, but it was bombed during the Second World War on the 24th of September 1940, and suffered considerable damage to its front of house areas, the backs of the circles, and especially to its Facade which was completely destroyed. The Theatre remained closed for nearly 20 years before being rebuilt by Westwood, Sons and Partner, on more modern lines. The Theatre finally reopened on July the 8th 1959.

Right - Programme for just one of the Queen's Theatre's successful productions over the years; the comedy 'The Wind And The Rain' by Merton Hodge, with Celia Johnson and Robert Harriswith in 1935.

There was once another Theatre called the Queen's Theatre in London in the 19th century, on Long Acre, but that closed in 1887 and was eventually demolished.

Two days after the present Queen's Theatre's opened The Stage newspaper published a review of the building in their 10th of October 1907 edition which said: 'A two-tier house, the Queen's holds about 1200 persons, representing some £300 in money. The colour scheme of the walls and roof is white and gold, while green is the hue of the carpets, hangings and upholstery, and of the very charming velvet tableau curtain. From a spacious and lofty entrance-hall, with passages leading down into the stalls, one ascends by a handsome marble staircase to the dress circle, which runs out over the pit; and there is a fine and roomy saloon at the top. Mr Vedrenne makes a point that 7/6 will be charged for seats in the first three rows only of the dress circle, while but 5/- will be the price of the remaining eight rows, also unreserved, in which evening dress will be optional. On the second tier of the Queen's, which is in the Old Italian Renaissance style and in the building of which the cantilever principle has been adopted, are the upper circle and the shilling gallery. The auditorium is lighted up agreeably with electric lamps and an electrolier, and ample refreshment room and other accommodation will be found to have been provided.'

Text in quotes from The Stage 10th October 1907 reprinted here from 'The Theatres of London' by Mander and Mitchenson 1975.

Above - Shaftesbury Avenue showing four of London's West End Theatres in a row, the Lyric Theatre, the Apollo Theatre, the Gielgud Theatre, and the Queen's Theatre in October 2006 - Photo M.L.

Above - Photograph showing the Queen's Theatre and the Gielgud Theatre in October 2006 - Photo M.L.
The Gielgud and the Queen's were both designed by W. G. R. Sprague as a pair.

In 2006 the Queen's Theatre is home to the long running show 'Les Miserables' which originally opened at the Palace Theatre in October 1985 but transferred to the Queen's on the 3rd of April 2004 and is now in its 21st year.

London's West End Theatres

Adelphi Aldwych Apollo Apollo Victoria Arts Cambridge Comedy Criterion Dominion Drury Lane Duchess Duke Of Yorks Fortune Garrick Gielgud Haymarket Her Majesty's London Coliseum London Palladium Lyceum Lyric New Ambassadors New London Noel Coward / Albery Novello Old Vic Palace Peacock Phoenix Piccadilly Playhouse Prince Edward Prince of Wales Queen's Royal Opera House Savoy Shaftesbury St. Martin's Trafalgar Studios / Whitehall Vaudeville Victoria Palace Wyndham's